Institute for the Studies of Religion

Philip Jenkins, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor of History and co-director of Baylor’s Program on Historical Studies of Religion. His research interests include the study of global Christianity, the study of new and emerging religious movements and of 20th century U.S. history, chiefly post-1975. He is also interested in issues of crime, terrorism and the construction of social problems.

Jenkins has published 25 books, which have been translated into 14 languages. His most recent book is “The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade.” Other titles include “Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History,” “The Next Christendom: The Rise of Global Christianity,” “The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South,” “Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years” and “Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can’t Ignore the Bible’s Violent Verses.” He also has published about 100 book chapters and referenced articles and more than 100 book reviews.

Jenkins received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Cambridge in 1978, where he spent an additional three years working with Sir Leon Radzinowicz, founding director of the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge.